1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates to a footboard for a bed comprising a desktop.
2. Description of Related Art
Note that the following discussion refers to a number of publications by author(s) and year of publication, and that due to recent publication dates certain publications are not to be considered as prior art vis-á-vis the present invention. Discussion of such publications herein is given for more complete background and is not to be construed as an admission that such publications are prior art for patentability determination purposes.
Dwelling space can be limited depending on the size of a person's living areas. Small rooms such as those found in small homes, apartments, dormitories, and hotel rooms are examples of rooms where tables or desks are difficult to accommodate.
To address the limited availability for space, or to add to the utility of beds, table tops have been incorporated into devices for use with beds. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 713,529 entitled “Table Attachment for Bedsteads”, discloses a table attached to the footboard of a bed. This device is necessarily attached to the footboard of the bed because the footboard supports one end of the table, and the table's legs must be positioned a substantial distance away from the footboard.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,267,046, entitled “Writing Desk”, discloses a collapsible table extension attached to the foot frame of a bed. This device is designed to fit in a barracks, and it folds down against its frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,347,271, entitled “Table Attachment for Bedsteads”, discloses a table that is pivotally attached to either the head or foot frame of a bed. This device is held between the framing posts of the bed and is lifted from the bed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,555, entitled “Hospital Bed Footboard”, discloses a hospital bed footboard that can be moved from a vertical footboard position to a horizontal position over the bed. This device is designed to hold monitoring and life support devices during patient transport.
The prior art is designed to provide table tops that are attachable to beds, but there remains a need to provide a table top or desktop that is more integral to the design of a bed to accommodate the need for conserving space in a room in a more aesthetically pleasing manner.